Vegan Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Two slices of lemon cake on white plates

Vegan Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

You are going to love this Vegan Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It is unbelievably delicate and moist while bursting in citrusy flavors; a delicious vegan cake that everyone will love.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 50

Servings: people

Calories: 496kcal

Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

Lemon Cake

3 cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup vegan butter
1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
1 heaping tbsp. lemon zest
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 cup applesauce
1 cup non-dairy milk, I use soy
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup vegan butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the vegan lemon cake: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line three 9" cake pans with parchment paper rounds and spray generously with cooking oil. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the non-dairy milk and lemon juice. Set aside.
In a stand-up mixer or an electric handheld mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and extracts until light and fluffy. With the motor running, add the applesauce scraping down the sides as necessary. The mixture will appear to have separated at this point, but it will come back together.
Alternating wets (soymilk and lemon juice) and dries (flour mixture) add in three batches, scraping down the sides as needed, ending with the flour mixture until it just comes together. Do not over-mix.
Pour batter into prepared cake pans and smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown (about 20-25 minutes), and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool for 60 minutes. Flip out onto wire racks and allow the loaf to cool completely.
To make the Cream Cheese Frosting, in a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together vegan cream cheese and vegan butter until well combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add lemon extract and combine it.
With the mixer on its lowest setting, slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides between cups. Once all the powdered sugar is added, turn up the speed to medium and mix until smooth and creamy.
To assemble the cake, place about 1 ½ cups of cream cheese frosting on the bottom layer of lemon cake, smooth oven evenly with an offset spatula and top with a second layer of cake. Repeat with a third layer if necessary. Coat the entire cake in cream cheese frosting and top with lemon wedges.

Notes

Serving and Storing - Serve immediately or place it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Store for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This cake can also be store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, simply pull out and let thaw at room temperature.

Recipe Tips

Don’t over-mix the batter. By alternating the dries and wets into the batter, we are ensuring the batter does not get over-mixed and gummy.
Generously spray your cake pans. We do not want any of this delicious cake sticking to its edges.
Do not open the oven door while the cupcakes are baking. This causes the structure to fall leaving you with a dent in the middle of your cakes. You can check for doneness after 45 minutes.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the cake starts to get dark around the edges, you can cover it with tin foil to bake the last 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this Cake be Made in Advance? Yes! To do this, bake the cake according to the instructions. Once the cake is cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. This cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to frost, let the cake thaw at room temperature for 3-4 hours. The cream cheese buttercream can be made up to 5 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Can this recipe be gluten-free? Yes. I have had a lot of luck with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. That is the only gluten-free flour I’ve tried for this cake but I’m sure other 1:1 ratio flours would work as well.

Nutrition